Four: The Ultimate Edition by One Direction

A lot has changed for One Direction since the early days. There's been rumours of personal riffs, break ups, alleged marijuana use and a lot of hair growth. And they've all matured from cute teenagers into gorgeous young men. But what has changed more than anything since they first auditioned for The X Factor, just four years ago, is their sound. Long gone are the days of teenbop-pop. That's right, no more What Makes You Beautiful and Live While We're Young; Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Niall are all grown up now. Okay, lyrically, the boys are still all about the fun life and love life but their maturity and experiences have created something with Four that feels far more meaningful.

Of course, their early tracks will always be classics and all of us, including the boys themselves, will keep them treasured in the guilty pleasure bank. Four, on the other hand, offers up songs which are relatable, have depth and become songs you actually really love because you connect with them. There's a stigma attached to this band, that if you're not a 16 year old girl, you can't like them because it's embarrassing, but this album changes that. The sound has become more refined and relaxed, with very few songs on this album being the type you can jump around to. But it's still really really good. Midnight Memories (third studio album) was a huge change from what the boys were making before and whilst this album is not a million miles away from that, it is a further progression into a more unique sound. Lead singles, Steal My Girl and Night Changes still stand out on the album but it is the upbeat and somewhat experimental sounds of Girl Almighty and Act My Age which are real favourites. It's One Direction how you want them: grown up but still massively fun. Clouds and No Control follow this pattern and it's the balance between this and moments like Fireproof and 18 that make this album great.

Four will fill stadiums worldwide once more. It will strengthen the fandom that One Direction have in abundance and it will create new fans that aren't just crazy hormone-driven girls. With this album, One Direction have shown that they're not done yet and that there is still so many places for them to go. Do yourself a favour and listen to this album; it might just change your stance on the biggest boyband in the world.

9/10

Listen to: No Control